


The Other Side of the Seesaw

by Freakishsweetheart, Swankkyy



Category: Glee
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-26
Updated: 2014-03-26
Packaged: 2017-12-15 06:49:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/846559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Freakishsweetheart/pseuds/Freakishsweetheart, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Swankkyy/pseuds/Swankkyy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They first met when they were five then ten, then again at fifteen all on the same playground at the same red seesaw. Is it fate or just coincidence? For Faberry Week 2013 Day Two: Kid!Faberry.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Other Side of the Seesaw

**Author's Note:**

> I know I started this as a multi-chapter fic, but I just don't have the time nor interest to continue this anymore. My beta made me turn it into a multi-chapter though it was originally a oneshot, so I re-uploaded it as such. I'm sorry I can't fulfill what many of you were hoping for, I hope you can forgive me.

**The Other Side of The Seesaw**

It's a beautiful spring day in Lima, Ohio. Perfect for a stroll through the park. Which is exactly what Leroy and Hiram are doing with their baby girl Rachel. They each hold one of her tiny hands and swing her back and forth between them with every step they take. She squeals with glee as she swings forward and giggles sporadically as she swings back. Her fathers beam at her and their hearts swell with joy.

When they finally put her back on her feet, her big brown eyes spot the playground up ahead. As they get closer, they can hear all the children running around yelling and laughing joyously. Little Rachel squeezes her fathers' hands and looks up at them excitedly. When they smile and nod at her, she jumps up and down a couple times before she takes off toward the slide. The two men watch her with love and pride in their eyes as she climbs up the little stairs and makes her way down the yellow slide with the biggest smile on her face. They find a bench where they can easily keep an eye on her and take a seat.

After going down the slide a few dozen times, Rachel makes her way over to some kids by the monkey bars. With her huge smile and bright eyes, she sticks out her hand and introduces herself.

"Hi! I'm Rachel Barbra Berry. My daddies gave me the name Barbra after the great Barbra Streisand who I aspire to be like one day. Would you like to play with me?"

The kids stare at her wide eyed for a couple seconds before telling her that she talks too much, and run away. But that doesn't deter the little diva as she makes her way across the monkey bars and tries to find another group of kids to play with. Except, every time she introduces herself and asks if they want to play with her, they end up saying something mean or just run away. Frowning, the little brunette goes over to the seesaw and sits at one end. Even though no one is on the other end, she tries to kick off the ground anyway. Her fathers are about to get up to take her home when they see a little girl approach the seesaw and Rachel's smile returns.

Rachel looks up to see a little girl with blonde hair and big hazel eyes approach her. Her heart starts to race when their eyes meet and she can't look away. The little girl smiles at Rachel and asks if she can sit on the other side of the seesaw. The brunette's ears perk up at the soft sweet voice and her cheeks become rosy at the sound. She smiles at the blonde and that's enough of an answer for her, so she shyly takes a seat on the other side. They go back and forth pushing off the ground and laughing giddily as they're propelled into the air.

When their giggling dies down and they pause momentarily because they're out of breath, Rachel introduces herself, but is sure to leave out the rant about Barbra Streisand. The blonde girl beams at her and tells her that her name is Quinn Fabray. Rachel gets little butterflies in her stomach as she rolls the name around in her head.

_Quinn Fabray._

Her cheeks flush once more as she looks at the other girl. She can see a pretty blush on her pale skin as well and a sparkle in her bright hazel eyes. She's not sure what she's feeling at the moment, so she brushes it off and they continue their teeter tottering.

The air whooshing around Rachel as she goes up and then comes down is sweet in her nose and cool on her skin. Her eyes never leave the girl across from her as everything else seems to be blurry. She can faintly hear the other kids running and squealing, but her ears are solely tuned into the blonde's giggles. Time seems to be completely still as Rachel beams at sparkling hazel eyes, and her breath catches at the returned grin.

They're completely lost in each other until their parents call them to leave. They both frown because they don't want to leave, but they wave shyly at each other and run in opposite directions to their parents anyway.

"Dad, Daddy, I made a friend!" Rachel says proudly as she grabs their hands.

"You  _did_?" Hiram drawls through a huge smile.

"Yes, and her name is Quinn!" Rachel's smile never leaves her face until she falls asleep that night.

Rachel is five when she starts dreaming of hazel eyes and blush kissed cheeks.

*** QQQ

Quinn is ten when she goes to the park on a field trip with her summer camp. The camp counselors hand all the kids some bread to feed the ducks and they all get excited as they're almost swarmed. When they run out of bread, they're lead over to the playground where kids from another camp are already playing. Most of the kids race to the swings to get on them first, but Quinn goes over to the red seesaw. It's her favorite on the whole playground. She sits on one side, but frowns when she realizes there isn't anyone to balance out the other side. Kicking the dirt dejectedly she goes to get up, but is stopped by a brunette girl.

"Would you like me to sit on the other side?"

Quinn's heart starts to race and she knows her face is pink, but she nods anyway. The girl smiles at her and gets on the other side. Something about this seems familiar to both girls, and only when they're giggling in the air do they realize why. They've done this before, a really long time ago. The blonde's stomach feels funny every time she hears the other girl's melodious laughter, and her heart speeds up every time they make eye contact. Big doe eyes peer up at Quinn through extremely long lashes and she feels an intense need to give the girl whatever she wants.

The crunch of the mulch beneath her sneakers, the squeaking of the springs in the seesaw, the buzzing of bees; it's all loud in Quinn's ears, but the only thing she hears is laughter.  _Her_  laughter. And her own pounding heartbeat because of  _her_  laughter. That funny intense feeling is only getting worse by the minute.

After a while they get bored on the seesaw and run to the slides. Both girls giggle and race to see who can slide down the fastest. Rachel always wins, only because Quinn is letting her, but she's not going to tell her that. The smile the blonde receives when the brunette makes it to the bottom before her is worth it every time.

Quinn is frozen at the top of the slide as she watches Rachel glide down to the bottom with her hands in the air and her face lit up with excitement. She almost forgets where she is when the other girl turns to look at her with bright eyes. Tiny hands then perch themselves on tiny hips as those eyes turn disapproving.

"You're letting me win!" she huffs and then stomps her foot.

The blonde thinks that is the cutest thing she has ever seen. She then slides down and shrugs sheepishly at the brunette. Rachel then smiles at her and takes her hand, leading them over to the grass. It's the first time they physically touch one another; tingling is an understatement for what they feel.

They lie down side by side and stare up at the clouds. Well, Rachel stares up at the clouds, Quinn stares at Rachel. The warm sun shines down on her face, illuminating her profile. She's glowing and Quinn can't stop running her eyes over every inch. The way her extremely long eyelashes flutter when she blinks. The twinkle in her eyes when she smiles. The way her nose scrunches up when she squints against the sun. The plumpness of her lips when she talks. The cute dimple in her cheek when she grins. Especially the dimple. She just wants to lean over and kiss it.

She's debating with herself whether she should do it or not when a tiny finger rises up to the sky and points out a cloud that looks like a castle.

"It reminds me of the song  _Castle on a Cloud_ from one of my favorite musicals,  _Les Miserables_."

"Do you sing?" Quinn whispers, her eyes never leaving the brunette's face.

"Yes." She answers shyly, remembering how other kids react when she talks about how she's going to be a star one day.

"Would you – can you…sing for me?" bright hopeful eyes turn to look at the blonde and when they find sincerity staring back, a huge smile takes over her face.

" _Happy days are here again, the skies above are clear again…_ " hazel eyes widen in wonderment and chills break out all over her body. " _So let's sing a song of cheer again, happy days are here again…_ "

Quinn has never heard anything so beautiful in all her life. The sight and sound in front of her is such an overwhelming feeling; she wishes she could freeze time and stay in this moment forever. But of course she can't because her camp counselors are blowing their whistles, which means it's time to go. She frowns deeply and tells the other girl that she has to go, but not before she leans over and kisses her cute little dimple. Rachel then absently reaches up to touch the tingling spot as she watches Quinn run to catch up with the rest of the kids.

***RRR

There's something so serene and peaceful about the playground at night. Must be because there are no screaming kids running around. This is the first time Rachel has ever snuck out of her house. She's a bit paranoid that her fathers will wake up and find her empty bed, but she makes her way to the seesaw anyway. The events from earlier that day play over and over in her mind as she takes a seat on the familiar play set. Her sophomore year in high school is proving to be a lot worse than her freshman year. Without really noticing, tears begin to fall from her eyes.

She sits there for a good ten minutes before she sees someone walking towards her, so she furiously wipes at her eyes before they can see.

"Do you mind if I sit?" the blonde girl asks gesturing to the other side of the seesaw.

Rachel shakes her head without looking up and tries to will her eyes to stay dry. The other girl rocks a little on the seesaw and waits for Rachel to make the first push. After taking a breath, the brunette kicks off the ground, starting their teeter totter. Hazel eyes watch the smaller girl carefully, waiting for her to look up. When she does, there's recognition in her brown eyes, but she doesn't say anything. It's so quiet they can hear the song of crickets. Combined with the lightning bugs all around, it's oddly comforting, so they just go back and forth for what seems like hours until Rachel finally breaks the silence.

"What has you out this late?" she asks quietly.

"I couldn't sleep. I always come here to clear my head. What about you?"

"Had a bad day and didn't feel like being home." The brunette shrugs.

"It's Friday night, don't you have plans with friends?"

"That would imply that I  _have_ friends."

"I'm your friend." The blonde whispers and Rachel bursts out crying again.

Strong arms wrap around her tiny body and she buries her face in a warm neck. Long slender fingers run through her hair and she can feel soft lips at her ear.

"I'd protect you if we were in the same school." Quinn murmurs and Rachel clutches at her all the more for it. " _Happy days are here again, shout it now…_ " Rachel gasps at the all too familiar tune. " _There's no one who can doubt it now, so let's tell the world about it now…_ " they pull apart slightly and sing the next line together.

" _Happy days are here again…_ "

"You remembered." Rachel whispers in awe.

"And I'll never forget." Quinn looks into watery brown eyes and brings a hand up to cup her cheek, thumbing away a tear.

The feelings they felt for each other years before come rushing back with renewed vigor. The blonde lets out a shaky breath then leans down, leaving an inch between their lips. She gives Rachel the decision to close the distance or not. And without hesitation, she does. The electricity between them is like a magnetic field to the fireflies, making their chemistry material by the surrounding glowing green.

Rachel is fifteen when she has her first real kiss. She's dreamt of kissing these lips and now it's finally happening. Her hands make their way into silky blonde hair and she pushes up on her toes to shyly poke her tongue into an open mouth. The arms around her waist pull her closer when her tongue swirls around an eager one. When teeth pull at her bottom lip, her knees go weak, but Quinn is quick to hold her up. They pull apart and pant heavily against each other's lips. A slow smile tugs at Rachel's mouth and she lets out a puff of air.

" _Finally_."

*** QQQ

Quinn rings the doorbell and waits patiently for it to open. When it does, she's met with the most brilliant smile anyone has ever seen. A tiny body then launches itself into her waiting arms and they both giggle. They're both vibrating with excitement when they pull apart and can't help but stare at each other.

"Take a walk with me?" the pale girl asks shyly.

"I'd go anywhere with you." The other girl beams.

They link hands and head down the street. They talk about college and how their spring break is going. Quinn looks down at the tanned girl walking beside her and smiles.

"I've missed you."

"I've missed you too." The brunette squeezes the hand in hers and puts her head on the blonde's shoulder.

They spot the playground up ahead and Rachel gets excited. She drags Quinn over to the seesaw, but she doesn't really have to because that's where she was going anyway.

"The first time we met was right here." Rachel murmurs.

"And the first time we kissed." Quinn grins.

"Yes! We used to sneak out and meet each other here every night after that." The brunette looks at Quinn wistfully. "It's also the first time where we said 'I love you'."

"And the first and hopefully only time I ask you to be my wife." Rachel's eyes widen as Quinn gets down on one knee and holds up a beautiful diamond ring. "I love you, Rachel Barbra Berry. I have loved you since the moment I laid eyes on you from the other side of this seesaw when we were five years old. And I have only grown to love you more every day after. It was love at first sight, and you have proved that such a thing exists. I know we're still in college, but we only have one more year left and then it's me and you till the end, if you'll have me."

Rachel is a blubbering mess when Quinn finishes her speech, so she's struggling to get her answer out. She starts flailing and crying even harder, and Quinn just looks at her lovingly.

"Is that a yes?" the blonde giggles and Rachel nods her head.

Quinn slides the ring on a tan finger and wipes her fiancé's face before kissing her. Quinn is twenty years old when she proposes to the girl who has plagued her life in the most fantastic way since she was five.


End file.
